Second trampoline park planned for Kennewick

Three local investors team up for $2M indoor family fun center

A trio of
entrepreneurs is investing $2 million in a large indoor family fun center planned near Columbia Center
mall in Kennewick.

Developers hope to make an announcement soon about the
location for Washington state’s first Launch Trampoline Park and hope to open
it by the end of summer 2019.

Franchisee and co-owner Will McKay is excited to bring a
new entertainment option to town. “The Tri-Cities is a growing place. Not only
do we have people who live here looking for new entertainment options, but we
have so many sports activities and tournaments where people come to town and
say, ‘What else are we going to do here?’ ”

Launch Trampoline Park was co-founded by a former New England
Patriots football player Ty Law, who’s expected to attend the grand opening,
along with Walla Walla native and NFL veteran Drew Bledsoe.

The site will be owned and operated by three longtime
friends, including Will McKay, owner of W. McKay Construction, Jourdan
Nicholls, a Kennewick podiatrist, and Jeff Morgan, a dentist and owner of
Grandridge Dental.

The idea was dreamed up by McKay after visiting FLIPnOUT
Xtreme in Las Vegas, an amusement park which offered more than just
trampolines.

“We jumped for a while, then went and played laser tag. I
have four kids, and there’s not much to do in the winter, so I wanted to bring
something like that to the Tri-Cities,” McKay said. “And with my current
business, I could do this a lot cheaper than a lot of other people.”

He recruited friends he’s known since high school as
fellow investors, and started researching potential franchises.

“Launch was in the top five trampoline park franchises on
six or seven blogs I looked at,” McKay said.

Within weeks, McKay was on the East Coast for a “discovery
day” to see how a park of this style is set up and operating.

The team is investing about a half-million dollars alone
in the trampoline equipment, which will be connected to form one giant jumping
surface with angled trampoline walls. In addition, there will be a laser tag
arena, virtual reality, dodgeball court, climbing wall, bowling alley, indoor playground,
ninja course, foam pit, arcade games and potentially a zip line that runs the
length of the facility, which is expected to be about 30,000 square feet.

Initial admission is likely to include at least trampoline
and laser tag use, with additional offerings at an added cost. McKay said that
in some locations, guests visit Launch exclusively to bowl and not to access
any other varied entertainment options.

With a current trampoline park already near the mall in
Kennewick, McKay isn’t worried about saturating the market. He believes his
business won’t be in direct competition with places like Chuck E. Cheese, which
he helped build, or iPlay Experience, an indoor playground also opening near
the mall.

McKay said his business model is more focused on attracting
the older elementary kids, up to adults.

“It’s no secret that indoor trampoline parks have become a
significant contender in the family-entertainment industry, but we’re more than
just a trampoline park,” said Launch co-founder Rob Arnold. “Technology is
changing at an astonishing pace, and with family entertainment you need to be
right on top of things and evolve quickly in order to stay relevant and fun and
cool.”

Launch will serve food, including make-your-own pizzas
described by McKay as “killer,” which may be ordered inside the Krave
restaurant, as well as make-your-own ice cream sundaes. The location will have
the ability to hold birthday parties, team-building activities and other
private events. It has not been decided if alcohol will be served in any
portion of the entertainment center.

According to a news release, there are 20 Launch
Trampoline Parks open throughout 13 states, with more than 30 additional parks
in various stages of development throughout the U.S.

Admission costs and expected operating hours have not yet
been determined, but McKay said Launch’s prices will “be competitive” with the
region. Family bundles may be offered for multiple attractions. McKay expects
to hire at least four to five people in management, but didn’t yet have an
overall expectation of the total number of employees, which will eventually be
determined in line with hours of operation.

Once a lease is signed for the location, McKay expected
construction could get underway within six weeks to meet the targeted opening
date of late summer. W. McKay Construction will be the general contractor for
the project.